Silent Night
by TrippWire
Summary: "Then the realist within her took over. How would a red-suited fat man who broke into hundreds of millions of homes in a single night not be terrifying to a child? Raven sighed. It seemed she would never truly know what the Christmas cheer was all about." [Christmas Oneshot]


**Disclaimer** **: Come on, if I owned the Teen Titans, would I really be writing fan fiction?**

 **Rating** **: K+ (minor and infrequent coarse language)**

 **Pre-notes** **:** Updated for Christmas 2016. You may also find the original version of this one-shot in my series "The Rooftop." This was one of my personal favorites from back in the day (2008, to be precise), so I thought it deserved to be its own stand-alone. Merry Christmas!

* * *

 **Silent Night**

From the blackness of the night sky, tiny white show flakes floated lazily towards the Earth. The ground was already thoroughly blanketed with fresh snow. Jump City seemed like a completely different place when the snow hid its cold, gray streets and dressed the roofs of its stoic buildings. A true, snowy winter was a scarcity in this region, so the near-foot of snow already on the ground was a remarkable occurrence for its inhabitants.

The bell of an old clock tower chimed off into the distance from somewhere in the heart of the city. From the rooftop of Titan's Tower, Raven listened as the eleventh strike of the bell faded into the night. She held her bare hands out in front of her, palms facing up towards the sky. She studied the miniscule crystals of ice that landed on her hands. They melted away within a few seconds, creating vacancies for each new flake. She would have to slip her gloves back on in a minute though; the air was frigid and the warmth she had gathered from inside the tower was slowly but steadily being sucked away from her pale fingertips.

As she began to walk the perimeter of the roof, she listened to the sound of the snow crunching under every step of her boots. It was a sound that seemed to cut through the air. Everything was so still. The wind that brought in the snow storm had stagnated and the surrounding bay was calm. No activity could be heard from the depths of the city. All of the people and good little boys and girls were fast asleep, safe and sound, waiting for Old Saint Nicholas to come by their homes with his eight reindeer and giant sack full of toys. Or so she assumed.

A half smile creeped onto Raven's face. She wondered what growing up among earth children would have been like. Going to sleep with anticipation of the coming Christmas morning. Hoping that in the middle of the night she just might hear the jolly man with the rosy cheeks and round belly that shook like a bowl full of jelly whenever he laughed. Then the realist within her took over. How would a red-suited fat man who broke into hundreds of millions of homes in a single night not be terrifying to a child?

Raven sighed. It seemed she would never truly know what the Christmas cheer was all about.

As Raven's mind returned to the sound of the snow being crunched, she noted how the atmosphere seemed so serene and eerie at the same time. Snow was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, but it offered no sound to complete the ambiance, unlike the therapeutic pitter-patter of a steady summer rain.

She kept walking until her own footsteps appeared in front of her. Back where she had been standing previously, she lifted her hand and focused on a small patch of snow at the edge of the roof. With a fluid wave of her wrist, the black energy of her magic encased the snow and slid it off the side of the tower, creating a small clearing for her to sit down at. When she sat, she swung her legs over the side of the roof and began swaying them back and forth.

 **-X-X-X-**

Beast Boy winced as the door handle clicked. Afraid she might have heard him, he froze in place. This was not far from being literal; the stairwell was quite chilly. Unfortunately but logically, the heating system did not reach this part of the tower due to its direct connection to the outside.

As Beast Boy sat there, motionless, he eventually remembered that he had very acute hearing, so maybe that click of the door was not actually loud enough to reach her ears. It also helped that she was much further away from it. Besides, the door had not been forcibly opened by a wave of black magic yet, so it was safe to say that Raven remained unaware of his presence. Then again, she may have sensed him and was just humoring him. Either way, he was going to continue with his current course of action.

Half an hour earlier, Beast Boy was on the precipice of sleep when a faint sound outside his room pulled him back to consciousness. The Titans usually went to bed a little earlier on Christmas Eve so they could get an early start to their Christmas morning—something that never really gelled with Beast Boy's sleep habits. Sitting up in his bed, he shut his eyes and focused on the sound. Footsteps. They were light, almost nonexistent. They were Raven's. There was no doubt in his mind. How could her footsteps possibly be that light? Was she not actually touching the ground or something? Was there a field of magical energy surrounding her body at all times, creating an atom's width of separation between her and any surface? As impossible as that should have seemed, he still considered it. He learned that with Raven the word 'impossible' never seemed appropriate. Well, one thing was easy to understand: Raven always had something about her to keep him wondering.

But why was Raven walking past this part of the Tower this late at night? Being his curious self, Beast Boy transformed into a fly and flew outside his room. He saw her walking down the hall ever so lightly, slipping on a white winter coat. He _cleverly_ deduced that she was going outside. So, Beast Boy decided to slip on his own winter attire and go along with Raven. And it was not because he wanted to bother her. The excitement of the coming morning kept him from the grasps of sleep. Plus, he was in the mood for some company. This, however, did not mean that he would not try to have a little fun at her expense. He had that 'Beast Boy' image to maintain… did he not?

So there he was sitting behind the door leading to the rooftop, waiting to make sure if it was safe to proceed. Luckily, a lip extended out over the doorway, which prevented snow from piling up in front of it. Gently, he pushed the door outward. When the door was barely open enough for him to slide through, he stopped to peer through the small window in the door to make sure Raven was still in the same spot. Indeed, she was still sitting there facing the city and the bay, her legs lazily swinging back and forth.

That is when he had his brilliant idea. Beast Boy knew she would hear him if he attempted to take any sort of step outside. The snow that had fallen was heavy with moisture; it would compact under his feet with a very loud crunch, if his memory of snow served him correctly. He also knew very well that he could just morph into some kind of flying insect and sneak up on her that way, but that would be cheating according to the rule he made up right then.

He noted how very quiet it was. Not even those acute ears of his could pick up the sound of the tiny snowflakes falling to the ground. Yeah, that crunch of snow under his feet would definitely expose him.

So, as quietly as he could manage, with his knee preventing the door from closing, Beast Boy knelt down and scooped his gloved hands into the snow. Squeezing his hands together, he felt the mass of snow become denser and more solid. The natural curves of his hands made it easy to fashion a ball just from pressing them around the snow.

Once he had a compact ball, he took it into one hand and returned his view to Raven. As he reasoned before, she might have known he was there this whole time, but that was no reason to back down. The game was not over until she reacted, after all. He took careful aim, cocked back his arm, and hurled the ball through the air.

The sight of the snow had captured all of Raven's attention. She watched the snowflakes come into her view from high above, fall in front of her eyes, and continue downward until she lost them within the crowd of other snowflakes making their way to the beach below. She was raising her head back to the sky when _THUMP!_ Something hit her square on the back. It did not hurt, but the sudden impact was enough to cause a loud yelp to escape her lips and a patch of snow next to her exploded in a burst of magic. She scrambled to her feet to get away from the edge of the roof. At about that same time, she heard a fit of laugher coming from the center of the roof. She turned towards the sound and was greeted with the sight of Beast Boy curling over, one hand clutching his stomach and the other propping him up against the door frame of the stairwell. No doubt, a snowball was his weapon of choice.

"What the _hell_ do you think you are doing!?" she yelled at him.

Beast Boy straightened himself up, but did not stop laughing. With a taunting wave of his hand, he replied, "Hey, Raven!"

She struggled to get a good view of him through the falling snow—the storm was picking up a little.

"You know I'm going to kill you, right!?" she threatened.

Whether she was serious or not, Beast Boy could not tell, but he did not falter. "What are you doing out here!?" he called back, starting to approach her and ignoring her words. "It's freezing!"

"Oh yeah, and throwing a snowball at me will make me feel _much_ warmer," she snarked.

Beast Boy scooped another handful of snow into his hands as he walked towards her.

"If you're thinking about throwing another one at me…" she threatened one more time.

By the time he reached her, he finished making the snowball. "Honestly, I didn't think I'd hit you," he said, casually ignoring her again. "Besides, this one's for you."

Beast Boy reached out with his free hand and lifted her hand. He turned her palm over and placed the newly made snowball in it. Raven watched his eyes the whole time he made this maneuver, expecting a trick at any moment.

Taking a few steps back, Beast Boy widened his stance and spread out his arms. "Go ahead, hit me. It's only fair." Then he closed his eyes tightly in anticipation of a blow to the face. What had he gotten himself into?

"No, I won't do that," she said softly.

"Oh?" he said, opening one eye. "Why not?"

Just then, Raven's face twisted into a mischievous grin. She crossed her arms and slowly pointed an index finger toward the top of his head. At that moment, Beast Boy noticed that his head felt significantly colder than it had a few seconds ago. His hands shot to his wavy hair and frenetically felt around for the beanie he had put on before coming out. It was gone. A short whistle from Raven grabbed his attention. She was now twirling his beanie around that very same index finger, but then she lifted her other one and this time pointed above his head. Slowly, he cocked his head back and looked to where she was gesturing. He knew he should not have, but he did and it was too late. Encased in black energy was an enormous ball of snow. Just as his eyes widened in fear, the black encasement vanished and the snow came crashing down right on top of him, sending him to the ground.

In the few seconds after his catastrophe, Beast Boy lay there on his back, frozen and gawking at the black sky. Raven could not help snickering just a little bit. She put a hand over her mouth and laughed into it quietly. Beast Boy's head ratcheted back to a level position and he eyed Raven sharply. He spit out some snow that had made its ways into his mouth, which caused Raven lose the restraint on her laughter for a split second. She quickly pursed her lips before any damage could be done, and then took a deep, controlled breath.

"Since when have you been Little Miss Prank Queen?" he asked, not amused by his indubitable defeat.

"I get my laughs from the pain and suffering of others," she jested, still allowing herself a small grin.

"Oh, ha ha," Beast Boy said with his own sarcasm, starting to get up. He struggled as he lifted his legs out from the knee-deep snow around him.

Raven made her way over to him, stopping mere inches away. He eyed her this time the same way she had eyed him before, expecting another trick. She then brought her hand back up, causing him to recoil into a defensive martial arts pose. She held his beanie out to him.

Though it was becoming quite hard to do, she suppressed her laughter. "Want your hat back?" she asked nonchalantly.

Beast Boy snatched the hat out of her grasp and fitted it back on his head, but then he smiled. "Okay, I gotta admit. That was pretty good."

She shrugged.

"And you're in a good mood!" he added teasingly. "What's up with that?"

"I never got to experience snow like most other kids did. And as long as we've lived in Jump City, I can't recall it ever snowing like this. This is pretty amazing," Raven explained, letting his comment slide.

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, "all we ever get here is rain or nothing at all. This is so cool, especially since it is Christmas Eve. Looks like we'll finally have a true White Christmas."

Raven cocked an eyebrow. "White Christmas? From the look of things, I can only guess that means snow on Christmas Day?"

Beast Boy looked at her, surprised. "Um, yeah, that's right… you've never heard that before?"

She looked back at him critically. "I was born and raised in Azarath, Beast Boy. While I appreciate the assumption about my breadth of knowledge, I still do not know every phrase and expression created by man."

Not wishing to argue, Beast Boy just nodded. "Okay, fair enough," he replied.

Raven started to walk away. He followed.

She continued with what she was explaining before. "I was up here for awhile just taking in this atmosphere. It's so relaxing." As she walked, she listened to the crunching of the snow under her feet again. "Though it's kind of weird because it's so quiet. Just listen…"

Raven stopped at the edge of the roof again and closed her eyes. Beast Boy stopped moving and just looked at Raven through the thick snowflakes that fragmented the air between them. He concentrated on two things. The first being how right she was. Even with his keen sense of hearing, it was difficult to pinpoint any sort of definite sound. He may have heard small waves lapping the shore of the Titans' island, but the water was so calm; he could not tell if he was really hearing it or if the mere expectation of the sound being there caused him to imagine it.

The second thing that Beast Boy concentrated on was the girl standing several yards in front of him at the edge of the tower. It was like an artistic portrait. Off in the distance, the dim lights in the city softly illuminated the silhouettes of its buildings and reflected on the pitch-black water of Jump Bay. Then there was Raven standing with her back to him, her long hair flowing out of a light blue, puff-ball winter hat, just short of her elbows. The violet strands stood out against her white winter coat, which further contrasted her navy blue jeans that she had tucked into her snow boots. Around her neck she wore a long scarf that matched the blue of her hat. Everything he saw was broken up by the snow that fell around them.

With a shake of his head, Beast Boy broke from his trance and slowly walked up next to her. After taking in a moment's cleansing breath, Beast Boy finally spoke again. "It's a silent night," he said levelly.

Raven turned to face him. "You mean like the hymn?"

"Yeah. It's a pretty song."

"I've heard it," Raven said, gazing back out at the snow-covered city.

"I know it wasn't composed with snow in mind," he thought aloud, "but what we're seeing and, well, _not_ hearing right now reminded me of it."

Raven could not find anything to say, so she just nodded. But inside she had to admit she was proud of Beast Boy. His thoughts were leading to relevant and insightful connections—something she could not always say. The young man standing next to her was no more than two years younger than her, but his maturity level rarely reflected that in the past. And now here they were having a real, meaningful conversation. Of course, Beast Boy was inseparable with a few key traits, but without them he wouldn't be Beast Boy. If he had just plainly walked up to her said, "Hello, Raven, mind if I join you?" she would have suspected something was wrong. But no, he ambushed her in typical Beast Boy fashion.

Just as time could heal old wounds, it could also bring together people who were never close before. They were by no means two peas in a pod, as it were, but they were definitely friends now. She did not get annoyed with him as much as she used to. In fact, she could not think of anything specific about him off the top of her head that she found truly frustrating—something she never would have expected in an eternity when the Titans were first established. And, for Beast Boy's part, he had learned well enough the consequences of pressing her buttons. Now, instead of blowing up at him whenever he played a trick on her (or threw a snowball at her) she just played right back. He seemed to get a kick out of it (or a mouth full of snow).

Silence passed between them. They stood side by side, looking out over what they could still see through the snow, which was falling harder and in larger clumps than before. It had been intensifying for the past several minutes, but the change was finally noticeable.

Just then, Raven thought of something to get the conversation going again. The snow was starting to put her in a trance. "You heard from me," she began. "What made you decide to come up here?"

The snow seemed to have a similar entrancing effect on him, as it took him a few seconds to register her question.

"Oh, um," he stammered.

"Is it that difficult a question to answer?" she asked and turned her whole body towards him.

"Well, I came up because you did," he finally replied.

"Pardon?" she asked, caught off guard.

"I was having trouble falling asleep. Then I heard you outside my room, so I kinda sorta decided to follow you… to see if you wanted company, I mean," he said sheepishly. He left out the part where he spied on her in the form of a fly.

Raven replayed his answer in her head a few times. There was something odd in his response, but she could not put a finger on it.

Beast Boy watched her carefully, seeing that something had caught her attention. She was looking down a slight angle. However, her eyes did not seem like they were actually focusing on anything.

When she figured out what that odd something was, her head snapped back up and she rigidly stared Beast Boy in the eyes. "Wait a minute," she said. "You said you came up here because you heard me outside your room..." She paused. "You mean you knew it was me without seeing me?"

"Yeah? I said I heard you," he explained as if it should have been pure logic.

"You could tell it was me from what you _heard_?" she asked incredulously. "What gave me away?"

"You have very light step."

After the words left his mouth, Beast Boy realized his explanation was probably strange to Raven. She gave him a furrowed-brow look, like he might as well have been Starfire reciting the exact number of atoms in a kilogram of oxygen. He avoided her gaze as his cheeks began to flush.

"My hearing improved a bit when I became like this," he said, gesturing at his pointed green ears, which began to droop slightly. He then turned his attention back to the view across the bay. "I know it sounds creepy, but after being around you guys for so long, I learned how to identify you by things like footsteps and even the way you breathe if I can't see you."

"No, it's not creepy. That's quite interesting, actually," she submitted, trying to keep him from becoming dejected. Given the animalistic nature Beast Boy's powers, having strong hearing ability made sense to her, but she was surprised to learn it was _that_ strong.

"Really?" he asked. His ears perked back up.

"Yeah, I imagine it's very useful," she commented.

With a small, goofy smile, Beast Boy shrugged innocently. Raven rolled her eyes.

"Well, back to what I was originally getting at," she redirected the conversation, "you came up here because I did?"

Beast Boy offered a simple "mm-hmm." His mood was recovering quickly, which made Raven relax. She had a tendency to be tense when other people were, whether her empathic abilities played a role in it or not.

"Well, thank you. You've been surprisingly good company," she said, looking at him with a smirk.

He looked back at her and grinned. "I know, right? Am I a sweetheart or am I a sweetheart?" he said smugly.

She furrowed her eyebrows at him as if he was pestering her. "Keep thinking that," she deadpanned.

Beast Boy really enjoyed Raven's dry humor. It had never been used right much in the past; always at the expense of others, belittling people and their enthusiasm. And "others" and "people" usually meant him. He knew all she needed was someone to give her the chance to use her sarcasm in a good manner. His arduous work payed off, it seemed.

He was in a very good mood. He decided to jump topics to the one he thought would be most relevant for the current hour.

"Man, it's almost Christmas!" he said cheerfully.

Raven forced a smile. She was glad he enjoyed the holiday season so much, but she wished she could too. The beautiful snowstorm made her feel relaxed and almost carefree, to be sure. This was the kind of atmosphere she wished surrounded her all the time. But did she feel happy like Beast Boy?

"You didn't get me anything, did you?" Raven inquired suspiciously.

"Come on, Raven, I don't get why—"

" _Did you?"_ she interrupted.

Beast Boy closed his eyes and sighed. "No, don't worry. You won't have to put up a fight this year. We followed your orders and didn't buy or make you anything."

"Okay, good," she said, feeling relieved.

"But Raven, now I'll feel so bad about getting something from you," he whined, almost in a childish manner. He hoped it would make her feel guilty.

Every year Raven would refuse any sorts of gifts on Christmas, but then she would get gifts for everyone else. Maybe she did it out of love. Maybe she just felt obligated to do it. Beast Boy did not know which, but he did know that it would not be wise to ask her about it directly. Raven had her ways and did not like them to be questioned. However, this issue was one he could not leave alone again. Why was she so against receiving gifts when she bought them for everyone else?

"Just don't worry about it. I don't need anything. I'm fine," she tried to reassure, but Beast Boy caught her evasiveness.

He tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. Touching Raven was something no one really did unless it was during battle to catch her from a fall or push her out of the path of an enemy attack. She was very conscious about her personal space, to say the least, but at this moment she did not attempt to shake off his hand.

"Raven, that's not the point," he told her once he could tell that she was comfortable with his hand there. "This holiday has just been twisted. Like it's all about presents. Personally, I think you get a present for someone because you want to, not because you're supposed to—because it makes you happy to do something nice for the people that are important to you."

"Important?" she asked timidly, a bit surprised she let it come out that way. Raven was not ignorant. She figured she must have been of _some_ importance to him. Their years of friendship and teamwork had proven that, as it had with the other three Titans. He was not speaking about her explicitly, but she could tell that it was implied. Hearing him actually say that out loud without prompt offered much more verification than just having a vague feeling of her own importance to her teammates.

"Of course, Raven! You, Starfire, Cyborg, and Robin are all very important to me, and that's why I buy or make gifts for you guys. You all mean a lot to me… you're my family and it's just a small way to show how happy you make me. You know I feel that way."

They gazed at each other yet again. There was an appearance of concern in Beast Boy's dark emerald eyes and the creases of his serious expression. Raven's eyes themselves seemed to be deep in thought, shimmering faintly as she looked into Beast Boy's. The snow fell between them. Each of them had been gathering a small, frosty layer of snow that coated their shoulders and stuck to their hats. The snow clung to their exposed faces, slowly melting, but for every miniscule crystal that was lost, two more eagerly replaced it. They could see the reflection of the snow falling between them in each other's eyes as if they were glass orbs.

The icy air seemed to be caught in Raven's throat, chilling her insides, but she finally forced herself to break the silence. "Christmas just isn't my holiday, Beast Boy," she said quietly, reflecting her earlier thoughts. "It was never meant to be."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Raven proceeded to sit down, having had enough standing. It was to get warm, more than anything else; standing up left her body uncomfortably open to the freezing air. She just wanted to keep the heat she had left inside her _inside her_. Just as before, Raven used her magic to clear the even deeper snow from where she wanted to sit. She cleared another patch to allow Beast Boy to sit down next to her.

"I never experienced Christmas until I came to Earth and joined the Titans, so I've missed out on the times that make Christmas what it is to most people."

Beast Boy heeded this information with care. He wanted to understand Raven's point of view. He understood how she could feel out of place during a holiday she did not and probably could not celebrate for the majority of her life. She was still young though—she had plenty of time to become accustomed to it. Then again, it would never hold the same meaning for her as it did for many other people. She would never know the childhood experience of Christmas when it usually holds its highest meaning. Once the magic of Santa Claus diminishes and the responsibilities of adult life kick in, the importance of the holiday dwindles for many people. One could say those childhood memories keep Christmas alive for future generations. For Raven, those memories never existed.

"And you know me. I have trouble accepting graciousness from others," she continued.

Beast Boy was about to say something, but Raven spoke again before he could.

"My origins were of… less than holy circumstances. Even though I overcame that part of my existence, it will always be a part of me. It's my blood and it's who I am. I can't change that."

"You're talking about your connection with Trigon?" he asked for clarification.

"Yeah. Before, I had to reject kindness because I knew that if anyone became attached to me, I would cause them pain. It never felt right to be treated kindly. I know we defeated Trigon, but I my feelings about this haven't changed. It still doesn't feel completely right to let others do such nice things for me. Sometimes I think I could spend a whole lifetime giving and still never feel comfortable receiving."

"I can see why you'd feel that way," he responded, not sure what else to say as he absorbed her words.

"Well, I admit that things could change, but I ask that you please respect my position on this now."

He nodded.

She looked solemn for a few moments, but then the corners of her lips curled upwards. "Honestly, I'm content just knowing that I can share this time of the year with my friends. That's more than I could ask for and way more than I deserve."

To Beast Boy, it was almost as if time broke free from a standstill when he saw Raven smile again. He hated when melancholy moods ensued for such a long time. He instantly smiled back.

"Okay, no gifts. I will just have to make up for it by being a super-good friend. That's the very _least_ of what you deserve," he said warmheartedly.

"You don't have to worry about that. You've been a good friend to me this whole time. Thank you, honestly," Raven said graciously.

Beast Boy's smile broadened even further.

"And you better be thankful I took the time to I divulge all of that to you," she added dryly, but with years of 'Raven experience', he could tell she was joking.

"Thank you, Raven, for taking the time to divulge all of that to me," he parroted, still smiling at her. "I know you usually don't talk about that stuff a lot, so I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to tell me."

Although she was joking about it, Beast Boy thanked her genuinely, his voice calm and kind. It was true that she did not normally share this kind of information liberally, but it felt like a good time to get something off her chest. Beast Boy was sincere to her, and that made her sincerely, dare she say, happy.

They sat in silence again. The air between them was no longer tense, but calm like before, albeit very cold. Now that they were not preoccupied with conversation, the effect of the weather on their bodies finally set in. The combination of winter, nighttime, and snow did not make for particularly comfortable temperatures.

"Hey, Raven?" Beast Boy said after awhile.

"Yes?"

"It's cold."

"No kidding."

"But I don't wanna go inside yet."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Hmmm," Beast Boy said as he pondered. They needed to warm up somehow. Their clothing was helpful, but not the best suited to protecting them from the continually strengthening storm. The only solution he could think of was to do something active. Then the old incandescent light bulb in his head flickered on. If only that light bulb were real, because it shined so brightly that it probably would have been a wonderful heat source.

"I've got an idea!" he exclaimed. He jumped up, grabbed Raven by the wrists, and unceremoniously pulled her to her feet.

"Beast Boy! What are you doing?" she asked, flustered from the sudden flood of enthusiastic emotions that poured into her from him.

He dragged her to the center of the tower, but Raven wondered if that was really necessary. The only difference was that they were surrounded by even more snow than at the edge of the roof.

"Do you think there's enough snow on the ground to cushion a fall?" he asked.

She looked down and saw that the snow was a few inches from the top of her boots. "Um, I think so, but why—"

Before she could finish, Beast Boy spread his arms and fell right into the snow flat on his back.

Raven looked at him curiously. "Lying in it isn't going to make you any warmer…"

Beast Boy was always an oddball when he had bursts of enthusiasm like this. He talked and moved like the world would continue turning past him if he stopped.

"Have you ever made a snow angel before?" he asked, grinning his goofy grin, still lying in the snow with all of his limbs spread apart.

"I can't say that I have," she replied tepidly. Raven finally remembered a way in which Beast Boy could frustrate her nowadays. She could just never figure out the right way to handle Beast Boy when he was so mercurial. 'Like a squirrel,' she thought. That seemed to be a fitting description for his behavior. Nonetheless, she would rather deal with this than the downer of a conversation they had before.

"Well, you need to. Get down and make one," he ordered as he started to open and close his legs and flap his arms. "Moving your body will get you warmer."

Though she highly doubted that, she did as she was told and located a spot next to Beast Boy. Unlike him, however, she delicately placed herself on the snowy surface and gently reclined onto her back. She soon found that it was very difficult to hold her eyes open as the heavy snow began pelting her face. This was _definitely_ not the best way to get warm, but temptation set in. She had never made a snow angel before. She once witnessed children making them in the Jump City Park. Ever since then, she had thought about what it would be like to make a snow angel herself, and now she finally had her chance.

Ignoring the strong coldness on her pale cheeks and nose, Raven closed her eyes. She cautiously spread her legs and moved them as far apart as she could manage, then brought them back together. For good measure, she repeated this process several times.

"Awesome! Now you gotta do the other half!"

Raven opened her eyes and, when the snow was not forcing her to blink, saw Beast Boy standing at her feet, watching over her and smiling. How he got there without making a sound she did not know.

Doing as he told her, Raven extended her arms out until they became perpendicular to her body. With the same cautious motion, she moved them back down to her sides and back up again, and back down and back up.

Beast Boy bent forward a little and offered a hand down to her. "Watch yourself on the way out. You don't wanna ruin it. It's the worst when that happens," he informed her kindly.

Raven sat up and willingly took Beast Boy's hand. With a forceful tug that triggered a small yelp on her part, he pulled her to her feet without hassle.

It had escaped Raven's mind that she was wearing denim jeans, so as she brushed the snow off from her clothes, she realized that her pants would become wet in short time. This did not sit well with her, as she was supposed to be trying to get warmer. But when she turned around to look at her creation, she momentarily forgot her grievances. There, lying imprinted in the snow was an angel—unblemished and of a pure whiteness that seemed to come from Heaven itself.

"By the look on your face, I'd say you are happy with the result?" Beast Boy inquired, studying her expression.

Raven continued to gaze at it. "Yes."

"There's nothing like getting something right on your first try," he said lightheartedly.

Raven simply nodded in agreement, still admiring her masterpiece.

"Even when it's something as small as making a snow angel," he added, chuckling a little bit. "I wasn't so lucky the first time I tried to make one… There was no one there to take my hand."

Raven smiled tenderly before turning to Beast Boy and suddenly pulling him into a strong hug.

Beast Boy was thoroughly surprised, but he managed not to jump at her sudden action. "Whoa! Who are you and what did you do with Raven?" he half-joked.

"Thank you," she said as she released him and put a small distance back between them.

"Heh, no problem," he said, rubbing the back of his head and looking off to the side. He did not know why exactly it was a big deal to Raven, but it made her feel happy… and made her act very un-Raven-like. This would be a moment he would file under "Beast Boy's Lifetime Achievements."

Just then, Raven shivered. The slight wetness on her jeans started to cool her skin rapidly.

"I'm still cold. What else can we do?" she asked Beast Boy since he was the one that seemed to have all the ideas. She hugged herself and hunched over a little to try to retain heat.

Beast Boy supported an elbow in one of his hands and scratched his chin with the other. He pondered on what a good solution to fighting the cold would be without submitting to it and heading inside. He was not as cold as Raven, but he knew he had to think of something for her sake.

Then, just as before, the light bulb illuminated. "Are your gloves fit for handling snow?" he asked.

"Yes," she confirmed. Raven thought she might as well just see where he was going with this rather than worry about the "what" or the "why"—something she did not do often.

Beast Boy crouched close to the ground. "Good, now come here," he commanded. Beast Boy gathered lumps of snow in front of him and started packing them together.

Raven went to stand by him and watched curiously as he went about his business. It looked like he was making a snowball, but the clump of snow he was working with was much too large to be for a snowball. Once he had a good-sized, round clump of snow compacted together, he stood up and faced Raven.

"The snow is just right for this," he said, pointing to the clump. "Now, I want you to roll this around the roof. It'll pick up more and more snow pretty easily and will eventually get hard to push. When you can't budge it at all, that's when you're done. Got it?"

He looked at her with a childish innocence. Raven thought it was quite the intriguing sight through the falling snow.

"Soooo, are we making a snowman?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah!" he said excitedly. "A big-ass snowman! Believe me; pushing around snow gets to be hard work. Do it physically. No powers. It'll get you warm."

She continued looking at him.

"Come on! Get to it! I'm going to start another ball for another layer. I don't know about you, but I'm excited. I haven't made one of these in so long!"

And with that, Beast Boy went off to work on his own giant snowball. Raven went to the one he had started previously and crouched low to the ground, but she paused to think.

Even though she did not know exactly how to handle impulsive Beast Boy, she realized it made her content to see him like this. It was amazing how much her friendships had grown. She came to Earth believing the prospect of friendship to be preposterous. She never would have thought she could care for anyone as much as she did for her four friends at Titans Tower.

She pushed her weight onto the round clump of snow and it began to roll forward, though a little haphazardly. Soon enough she built up momentum and started rolling the mass around the roof, noticing how little by little it increased in size and left a deep trail wherever it went. A smile crept to her lips as she aimlessly walked along with the growing ball of snow in front of her.

As the years passed, Raven began to notice something about her relationships with her friends. She gradually found herself becoming happier, even when she still had her destiny to face. The desire to care for her friends was a prominent contributor to this. Seeing them happy started making her feel the same way. If she was depressed or angry, then the happiness of one of her friends would at least cheer her up some. She knew it was not just her powers picking up others' feelings; it was a feeling unlike anything other that flourished from within her body. Now, seeing Beast Boy's pure, unadulterated pleasure gave her the enthusiasm to enjoy this moment like he did. She would have never wanted nor have been able to do this if were not for his kindness and encouragement. He did not need to give her a physical gift for Christmas. This was good enough.

Suddenly, Raven felt a jolt pass from the giant ball of snow, into her arms, and through her body. The ball had stopped moving and was incapable of going any further. She looked up and saw that it had collided with another one, which had Beast boy standing behind it. He started to laugh lightly at their clumsiness.

They walked from behind their behemoth snow balls to stand next to each other and compare them. Much to his enjoyment, Beast Boy's was larger than Raven's.

He grinned. "I think they're both big enough. Looks like mine is the biggest, so it will go on the bottom," he bragged, nodding towards his accomplishment.

Raven picked up on his tone. "Well, since you're obviously so big and strong, why don't you put mine on top of yours?" she countered.

"Can't you use your powers?" he pleaded.

"You said not to use them, if I do recall correctly. So I guess you can't use them either," she countered again.

His grin inverted. "You make it impossible for me to win, you know that?" He reconsidered one of his earlier thoughts. _This_ was one situation where the word impossible was appropriate with Raven.

"At least you accept it. For that, I commend you," she said slyly and crossed her arms.

Beast Boy went over to Raven's snowball and began patting it with his hands to compact it a little more. What a waste it would be if he went to pick it up and it fell apart.

"I thought you said to roll it until it wouldn't budge," she reminded him as she started to walk around the two snowballs.

"Eh, they'd be too heavy," he said. "I realized that as I was making mine. Good thing you crashed into me, or else I would've kept going."

"Who says I crashed into you?" she asked with a stern tone.

He looked up at her and winked. Then he bent his knees, keeping his back straight, and crouched down low enough to put his hands as far underneath the massive ball as he could. The last thing he needed was to hurt his back the night before Christmas. Once he felt he was well positioned, he squeezed his core and leg muscles and began to lift the ball.

A few small grunts from Beast Boy made it evident to Raven that the ball was indeed heavy, or at least hard to get proper leverage on. She figured it must have been between three and four feet in diameter. Nevertheless, he was able to lift it up without any help and put it on top of the other ball. With the both of them securely in place, Beast Boy stepped back and let out a big, gusty breath in a "phew!"

"I guess I packed a lot of snow in there?" Raven said.

"I'll say," he said. "I wasn't expecting that. I'll go make the head. Shouldn't take too long."

Raven waved him off, showing she had no problem with this. She looked at the two snow balls stacked behind her. They were already taller than she was by at least a foot. Then she turned and saw Beast Boy rolling a ball of snow across the roof through the thick screen of falling snow. To her, it was almost a scene for a painting, except it would have been more fitting if Beast Boy were a toddler instead. He only _half_ fitted that part, she thought to herself, smiling.

When Beast Boy finally returned, he had a smoothly shaped ball that was visibly smaller than the other two, but still quite large. This time, he had no trouble placing the ball on top of the other. The final product was a snowman that exceeded both their heights by a couple feet. It stood undauntedly underneath the night sky and caught the light coming from one of the roof's spotlights.

Beast Boy stood there triumphantly, but then something occurred to Raven. "Hey, Beast Boy?"

"Yes?"

"Aren't snowmen supposed to have faces… and buttons… and arms… and maybe a top hat or something?"

With each accessory that Raven listed, Beast Boy's lips curled downwards more and more. By the time she finished, his lips seemed to hang off his face.

"Aw man!" he exclaimed in disappointment, slapping a hand to his forehead.

Raven felt bad. He was so excited about doing this and yet she managed to demolish the mood, even if it was by accident. And now more than ever, she was ashamed of doing so. She needed to reverse this situation somehow.

Staring from the crestfallen Beast Boy to the less-than-whole snowman, Raven contemplated solutions. She could simply teleport throughout the tower to grab the necessities, but she seriously doubted that they had any carrots, coal, top hats, or really anything appropriate lying around for them to use. Stumbling through the woods to find sticks did not seem too appealing either.

She knew she would be sacrificing what little warmth she had left, but, in an instant of inspiration, Raven unwrapped her scarf from around her neck. Beast boy watched her curiously as she did this, wondering why since she was the one that was freezing. Taking off her scarf was _not_ going to help.

Holding the scarf, she went up to the large sculpture and slung one end around its neck, pulled it tight, and fashioned it like she had it on her, albeit it was much smaller on the hulking man of snow. Then she turned to Beast Boy and used her hands to present the improvement much like a female model on a television game show.

The smile returned to Beast Boy's face. "There we go."

He decided to follow Raven's example, so he removed his hat from his head and placed it atop the head of the snowman. It did not fit on the large head at all, but Beast Boy felt that the snowman needed something else. The lack of warmth on his head was greatly missed, but well worth it.

They both stood back and admired their creation once again. Just the small addition of their two articles of clothing made the snowman seem to spring to life.

"Wait," Raven said suddenly, "it's still missing one thing."

She went back up to the snowman and put a gloved index finger to where a face should have been. She began etching some lines into the surface and eventually a face began to take shape. Before she was finished, she could hear Beast Boy laughing behind her. Grinning, she added the finishing touches to the new face's mask and oversized mouth, which had a large tongue sticking out to the side.

"Oh my god, Raven," Beast Boy said between a fit of laughter. "That's absolutely perfect!"

"It really does look like him, doesn't it?" she asked smugly.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me," Beast Boy said to her, still laughing. "And I'm sure Wonder Boy would approve."

"I knew that would cheer you up," she replied as she came to stand closely to him.

Out of the brisk air from within the depths of the city came the faint chime of the clock tower bell. Raven and Beast Boy jerked their heads in the direction from which the sound came. It was the first sound that Beast Boy heard come from off the rooftop. Though Raven heard the ringing bell an hour earlier, it still surprised her to hear it again.

After the twelfth chime, Beast Boy turned to Raven. "Merry Christmas," he said softly.

Another tender smile formed on Raven's face as it had so many times tonight. "Merry Christmas," she said back.

Beast Boy took a small, tentative step toward her and half-extended an arm. Raven leaned towards him. Slowly, they brought themselves into a long and tight embrace, the ringing of the church bell fading into the night once more.

When they finally released each other, the freezing air replaced the warmth where their bodies had been touching. They stood there looking into each other's eyes, carefully, steadily.

"So did making a snowman warm you up?" Beast Boy asked calmly, breaking the silence again.

"Not really," she said, still focusing on his eyes, "but it did help me take me take my mind off the cold for awhile."

Beast Boy smiled. "Wanna head inside now?" he asked, pointing towards the stairwell.

"I would like that," she said mildly, her cheeks feeling just a little hotter.

Side by side, they walked back towards the stairwell, both wanting to seek warmth and comfort inside the Tower. Raven left her scarf and Beast Boy left his hat, both articles resting on the one entity that stood tall and proud in its wintry domain. Not too far from it, two angels imprinted in the snow laid side by side, the tips of their wings just barely touching.

 **END**


End file.
